Bomber from Capitol Beer in Sacramento, CA. Pours hazy golden amber with a 3 finger creamy off-white head. Near beige. Aroma of citrus and fresh pitted fruits of the lighter kind. Med + body. Flavor is caramel, citrus, light pitted fruit, caramel. Yes, twice. It’s very fresh and tasty, and even light in a way. Heat is not an issue. Hate to use "clean", but damn if that doesn’t seem appropriate. A very different and outstanding barley wine.

Sample at the Memorial Day Deck Beers tasting on 05/27/2013: This brew pours a cloudy orange-amber color with a thick off-white head that diminishes slowly. Partial rings of lacing on the glass. Aroma of roast malt, caramel and hops. Full-bodied with flavors of earthy malt, caramel and floral hops. Touches of fruit as well. The finish is hoppy up front with a malty aftertaste. Pretty good overall.

Aroma is fairly grainy with a strong pilsner malt character as well as a moderate bright fruit ester note. The esters are pear and banana. I don't get much hop aroma but there is a bit of alcohol spice. Light caramel, raisin, fig and slightly burnt sugar. Pours a slightly cloudy gold with a hint of copper and a medium thick white head that recedes but leaves a film across the top. Flavor starts with sweet malt notes - moderate pilsner malt, light caramel, lightly toasted bread and cracker. Mid palate there is some light fruit esters - raisin, fig and pear. There is also some light banana. Mid to late palate the hops and bitterness appear. The hop flavor is slightly citrusy, but also fairly earthy, floral and woodsy. The bitterness is moderate with the beer being definitely on the sweet side. Light alcohol note in the finish. Mouthfeel is medium bodied with moderate carbonation. Astringency is medium low as is the alcohol warmth. The beer is sweet but only slightly sticky. Overall an alright beer, but the malt character is very light and the hops are not so great. I expect a barleywine to have a more complex malt character. The hop character also seems more English than American. ---Rated via Beer Buddy for iPhone

22oz bomber picked up at City Wine and Spirits in Mesa, AZ. The bottle pours out a clear copper colored body that supports a light tan head of foam. The aroma offers up estery raisins, figs and sugar sweet apples as well as honey drenched lime wedges. Behind those notes is a muted caramel candy aroma. The taste is similar and seems disjointed as various sweet dark fruity ester notes, like raisins and under ripe dates, don’t blend too well and the sugary malt base isn’t really filling in the gaps. In spots, around the dark fruity esters, I get malt sweetened tangerine and lime too. This seems to need a bit of age to come together.

Bomber picked up in Jackson, WY. Pours a mostly clear mahogany color with a small white head. A sweet fruity nose with some light pine. The flavor is very sweet, phenolic at times, banana esters, light fruity hops, low warmth, caramel and sweet fruity malts. Good.

Bomber shared by AZ crew. pours bright orange with nice malty and citrus nose. tastes of grapefruit, pineapple, peaches, brown sugar, and caramel. you get some floral and alcohol on finish. not a bad barleywine

Bottle. Amber beer with a cream head. Malt and grapefruit aroma with pine and light summer fruit. Summer fruit and ruby red grapefruit flavor with pine and malt backing. Medium bodied. Pine and grapefruit linger with summer fruit and malt.

Bomber from Jane’s Beer Store Mountain View. Nose is sweet with toffee and tropical fruit along with some bubblegum. Clear orange with a medium beige head. Flavor is lightly sweet, white peppery, almost a white chocolate flavor with a very light background bitterness. Very different tasting BW!

Bottle. Pours with a orange hued body with good clarity. Light hue from what I was expecting out of a barleywine (and I am okay with that). Retentive head that is a few shades off white. Aromas are malty, bready, almond nougat, floral, citrusy marmalade and a lot of alcohol. Flavors are boozy and very hot with a soft and bready toasted malt profile. Sweet but not overly caramelized or crystal laden. A bit syrupy, medium bitterness, floral, low citrus. Big bodied and very warming. Very lively carbonation for a barleywine.